TextbyMuQinhe
Flowingthrough19provinces,municipalitiesandautonomousregions400millionpeopleinhabit,theYangtze(Changjiang)RiverhasthelargestdrainagebasininChina.Theriverhasalwaysplayedanimportantroleinthecountry’secologicalandeconomicdevelopment.However,inrecentdecades,disorderedexploitationoftheriverhasresultedinsevereenvironmentalpollutionandecologicaldamage,whichhasseriouslyrestrictedfurthersocialandeconomicdevelopmentalongtheriver.
Inearly2016,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingremarkedthatrestoringtheYangtzeRiver’secologicalenvironmentwouldbeanoverwhelmingtask,andannouncedthatnolarge-scaledevelopmentwouldbeallowedalongtheriverforanextendedperiodoftime.Inordertobetterprotectandutilizethisvitalbodyofwater,thirtydeputiesproposedlegislationtoprotecttheYangtzeRiveratthisyear’sannualsessionoftheNationalPeople’sCongressinMarch.
ComplicatedProblems
Nourishingatremendousnumberofpeopleandfosteringintensiveeconomicactivity,thedrainagebasinoftheYangtzeRiveralsosuffersseriouswaterproblems.
“Inrecentyears,theriverhasbecomemoreresistanttodisastersbutstillthethreatsoffloodanddroughtloom,”saysLuZhongmei,deputydirectorofCommissionofSocialandLegislativeAffairsoftheNationalCommitteeoftheChinesePeople’sPoliticalConsultativeConference.“Althoughtheoverallwaterqualityisgood,somesectionshavemajorproblems.Waterpollutionandwaterandsoillossposeseriousthreatstotheecologicalsafetyofthedrainagebasin.”Since1996,Luhasbeenresearchinglegislationforwaterresourceprotectionalongtheriver.
AccordingtotheresearchfromLu’sgroup,exploitationofsomebranchesoftheupperreachesoftheYangtzeRiverhasledtodryriverbeds,whichhaswroughtnegativeimpactsonenvironment.Themiddleandlowerreachesoftheriverlackacoherentmanagementsystem.Illegalsandexcavationandshorelineoccupationstilloccur.Somerivermouthsarestuckwithsedimentandfacemoresaltwatercontamination.Manyintertidalzoneshavedisappearedduetohumanactivity.Manytransregionalwatertransferandwatercontrolprojectshavebeenimplemented,resultinginwaterleavingthedrainagebasin.
Becausetherivertraversesmanyplaces,asmanyas12departmentshavejurisdictionoverdevelopmentandadministrationoftheriver.Duetothelackofaformallaw,conflictshappenatalllevelsofgovernmentsandsomeregulationsfromdifferentlevelsarecontradictoryorvague.
DifficultBirth
Afteragreatdealofresearch,intheearly1990s,theMinistryofWaterResourcesandtheChangjiangWaterResourcesCommittee(CWRC)firstproposedtoenactlawrelatedtotheYangtzeRiver.In2003,LuZhongmei,thenadeputytotheNationalPeople’sCongress,submittedabilltoregulateusageoftheYangtzeRiver.In2006,CWRCformallysubmittedChangjiangRiverLaw(legislativesuggestion)toChina’sMinistryofWaterResource.In2010,WangShuyi,presidentoftheInstituteofEnvironmentalLawatWuhanUniversityandhisteamdraftedChangjiangRiverLawofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaandpresentedittoChina’sMinistryofWaterResources.However,inthefollowingyears,progresscametoahalt.
“TheYangtzeRiverlawhasbeendelayedbecausethesituationhasproveddifficulttolegislate,withrealitymuchmorecomplicatedthantheory,”explainsLu.“Forexample,thelowerreachesrequireupperprotectionofthesource,whiletheupperregionsthinktheyshouldbecompensatedbecausetheymaketheinvestmenttoprotectthelowerregions.Butthelowerareasbelievetheuppersshouldfirstmanagethepollutionbeforeanycompensationisdiscussed.Someprovincesinthemiddlereacheshavefilledthetidalzonewithrealestatedevelopments,whichcausefloods.Conflictsbetweenregionsoverprotectioncanonlybesolvedwithregulations.
“Anotherreasonwasthatthetimingwasnotgoodbackthen,whenthenationalstrategyforthedevelopmentoftheYangtzeRiverDeltawasnotasclearasitistoday,andtherewasnourgentneedforrelatedlegislation.”
AssomeimportantprojectliketheThreeGorgesDamandSouth-to-NorthWaterDiversionProjectoperateandtheBeltandRoadInitiativeandtheYangtzeRiverEconomicZonedominatetheagenda,theYangtzeRiverisevenmorecriticaltoChina’ssustainabledevelopment.Protectionoftheriverthatfostersdevelopmentoftheeconomyhasbecomeapriority.
CoreAim
“Agriculturaldepartmentshopetherivercanproducemoreaquaticproducts,waterdepartmentswanttosetupmoreprojects,transportationauthoritiesexpectmoreshipswhiletourismagencieswanttodevelopmoretouristdestinations,”illustratesLu.“Thesedepartmentsallexercisetheirpowersaccordingtothelaw,butwhenintertwined,thesepowersmayleavetheYangtzeRiveramess.Theaimofthelegislationistocoordinatethosedepartments’powersandatthesametimedefinethebottomlineecologically.”
LegislationpromotedbyLuandotherexpertsisexpectedtoregulateexploitationandprotecttheentiredrainagebasinsoftheYangtzeRiverthrougheffortsbygovernments,enterprisesandindividuals.Theexpectedlawshouldsetupacoordinationandcooperationmechanismandconstructamoderngovernancesystemforthedrainagebasins.
“Forexample,whenadamisconstructedontheriver,whatwillhappentotheaquaticlife?”Luasks.“Howarethefishgoingtomigrate?Whataboutthesailingandirrigationinlowerreaches?Now,thedevelopmentandreformcommissionhastherighttoexamineandapprovetheconstructionofthedam,which,however,alsoinvolveswater,environment,transportationandagriculturedepartmentsaswellasmanyenterprises,citiesandcitizens.”Takingthetotalimpactofthedamintoconsideration,thelawneedstoalloweverypartytohaveavoice,balancewaterresourcesanddesignatewhohasthefinalsay.Also,thelawmustguaranteeenforcementofthedecisionaswellasthatbothenvironmentalanddevelopmentalneedsaremet.
“‘Onelawforoneriver’isanimportantexperienceinmodernwater-relatedlegislation,”concludesLu.“TheTennesseeValleyAuthorityoftheU.S.andtheRhineandSeineinEuropesetgoodmodelsforus.Thoseriversareallgovernedbyaspecificorganizationundertheguidanceofeitheradomesticoraninternationallaw.WecanborrowtheirexperiencetodesignlegislationfortheYangtze.”